TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2016 SPORTS HANDBALL Mercenaries find it ‘hard’ to win against strong Qatar RIO DE JANEIRO: It was hard, according to Croatian back Marko Bagaric, but the Olympic dream can make people do strange things. Bagaric’s team beat his homeland Croatia 30-23 in a stunning opening to the Olympic handball tournament in Rio. His team is Qatar and he is one of 11 “mercenaries” in the oil and gas rich Gulf state’s 14-man squad for the Games. The hardest part for Bagaric came during the national anthems. After, it was a match like any other. “I played with many of these players, and I lived with some of them in Croatia, in clubs,” said the 30-year-old, who scored one goal in the victory. “The worst feeling was during the national anthem. Ah, but what can I do? Qatar gave me the opportunity to play in the Olympic Games. It is the dream of any sportsman. “For me it was hard, but after the game, I can relax.” Croatia were amongst the favourites to win this tournament — only the old Soviet Union have a better men’s Olympic handball record than RIO DE JANEIRO: Long Qingquan, of China, celebrates a successful lift in the men’s 56kg weightlifting competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. (Inset) the 1996 and 2004 champions. Hidilyn Diaz, of the Philipines, wipes away tears after winning the silver medal in the women’s 53kg weightlifting competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de But they were handed a hiding by last year’s Janeiro, Brazil. —AP World Championship finalists. Qatar have made great waves in the sport, becoming the first team outside of Europe to win a world medal. Long sets world record in But it has not been without controversy. The team is made up of five players from the Balkans, two Syrians, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, a Cuban and an Egyptian. winning weightlifting gold They even have a Spanish coach: Valero Rivera. Qatar have spent millions on assembling this team, thanks in part to lax qualifying rules in Philippines wins first medal in 20 years handball. Unlike most sports, a player can change nationalities, such as Frenchman Bertrand Roine, a the air. Om took silver with 303 kilograms of Kazakhstan failed a doping retest and games. “We had high hopes with other world champion with his own country just five and Sinphet Kruaithong of Thailand won could have that medal revoked, which sports. So (Cruz’s medal) is a surprise. A lot years ago. bronze. In the women’s 53-kilogram cate- would make Hsu a double gold medalist. of people didn’t expect she would take a Players need wait only three years without rep- WEIGHTLIFTING gory, Hsu Shu-Ching of Taiwan won her first “I am very happy and very excited,” she medal,” said Ronel Abrenica, executive- resenting one country before they can run out for Olympic gold medal when Li Yajun of China said. Team doctor Lin Yin-Chou said Hsu director of the Philippine Sports another. Nations can also field an unlimited num- failed to complete the clean and jerk. Li set was battling a strain in her thigh, and it was Commission. ber of such players. RIO DE JANEIRO: Long Qingquan of China an Olympic record in the first round snatch the “intelligence of our coaches” that But Abrenica said he noticed some- It means Qatar, ranked just 108 in the world, set a world record in winning Olympic gold by lifting 101 kilograms to take the lead pushed her to gold. thing from the 25-year-old, who became have arrived at the Olympics with a genuine in the men’s weightlifting 53-kilogram cate- into the clean and jerk. She was the last “We have been wanting this gold medal the first woman from the Philippines ever chance of claiming the gold medal-which would gory Sunday at the Rio de Janeiro Games. lifter to compete in the second round, and for some time and it is especially pleasing to win an Olympic medal A tearful Hidilyn be the country’s first in any sport. Long’s total score of 307 kilograms set the needed to lift 126 kilos to win gold. Her because she has had an injury that she has Diaz said, she was lifted in the 58kg class record and was aided by a final 170-kilo lift Some players from other teams have com- high entry total on the start list made her a been carrying,” Lin said. in the 2008 Beijing Games as a 17-year- in clean and jerk. favorite for the gold, but she failed to Hidilyn Diaz sprung a major surprise in old and impressed many in the field, but plained that Qatar are fielding a “world select” out- He was leading the competition after medal. When Li didn’t complete her score, the Philippines by winning a weightlifting she failed on all her clean and jerk fit, but Cuban back Rafael Capote doesn’t see it the snatch and all the way through clean the gold went to Hsu, who lifted 100 kilos silver medal in Rio — the country’s first attempts in London. Diaz dropped down that way. and jerk until Om Yun-Chol of North Korea in snatch and 112 in clean and jerk for an Olympic medal for 20 years, officials said to the lighter class for Rio, which had just “We’re a team like any other. There’s nothing lifted 169 kilograms on his final attempt to overall score of 212 kilos. Hsu is the reign- yesterday. Sports analysts in the Philippines seven competitors. “I have tried so hard. I special about us,” he said. tie Long for the lead. Long then came out ing world champion and won silver four had not expected the 1.54-metre (5ft 1/2in) have stumbled many times,” Diaz said. “I Capote was amongst the nominees to be world for his final lift, raised his bar and celebrat- years ago at the London Games. But tall Diaz to bag a medal at the 2016 Games wanted to quit, but now all of my sacri- player of the year last season. ed the gold medal by pumping his fists in London gold medalist Zulfiya Chinshanlo after coming up empty in 2008 and 2012 fices have paid off.” — Agencies He lost to Denmark’s Mikkel Hansen-who plays for Qatari owned Paris Saint-Germain. ‘BENDING THE RULES’ While Qatar’s motley crew would certainly pro- Kiwis avoid upset against US vide one of the stories of the Games if they won, for France coach Claude Onesta, they are setting a dangerous precedent and damaging the image of the sport. His side, the two-time reigning Olympic to reach Olympic semifinals champions, only narrowly beat Qatar 25-22 in last year’s world final. “When you have temporary passports for a against New Zealand. The Americans had a the semifinals - which doesn’t entirely “The Olympics are a whole new thing for scoring opportunity shut down with three bother them. Canada beat the Australians us and we’re still kind of getting used to competition it’s bending the rules,” he complained minutes to go when Jevelet was tackled to win the last stop on the world series last that,” Canada back Bianca Farella said. “I following that match. RUGBY late as she attempted to chase a kick into season and nudge ahead of England for think it’s an unconscious thing but tomor- “I’m not blaming Qatar, who are playing by the the in-goal that could have leveled the third place. row we start fresh.” — AP rules, but it would be damaging to continue down game. Tylia Nathan-Wong was yellow card- this path.” Even disgraced former FIFA head Sepp ed and sent from the field, but the New RIO DE JANEIRO: In back-to-back games, Blatter criticised Qatar over their mercenaries poli- Zealanders survived unscathed. the US women were within range of upset cy, before his head rolled amid accusations of cor- The US and New Zealand squads played wins over Australia and New Zealand, the ruption and an investigation into the awarding of practice matches against each other in two leading contenders for the first rugby the 2022 World Cup to Qatar and 2018 tourna- Florida leading up to the Olympics, and the sevens gold medal ever awarded at the ment to Russia. Americans obviously picked up some intel. Olympics. Blatter said Qatar’s recruitment policy was “They didn’t play us this hard in Florida. By the end of an eventful Sunday, It was a nice surprise, and hard,” Woodman “absurd” but Roine denies rumours of huge finan- though, the semifinal pairings reflected the said. “We made it hard for ourselves, not cial incentives. “When I see in the press that we status quo in women’s sevens with the top playing to our strengths, getting a bit too were paid millions to come here, it’s wrong,” he four teams in the world series vying for ahead of ourselves, and wanting to score said. “In my case I got zero. It was more a sporting medals. World series winner Australia on the first phase when we needed to play opportunity than a financial one.” rebounded from a surprising 12-12 draw three or four. That may be hard to swallow for many people with the United States in the last game of “But we’re in medal contention, so who will be interested to see how Roine reacts the pool stage to trounce Spain 24-0 and (we’re) excited.” The Americans will have to during the national anthems on Tuesday when his set up a semifinal match against Canada, settle for playing in classification matches new country face his old one.